If you are planning to hear me preach tomorrow, you may wish to look away now. Alternatively, you may find this helpful:
HANDOUT:
PSALM 127
What unites the two halves of this Psalm?
(1) A House (v1)
(2) A Household (v3)
None of us wants to live our lives “in vain” –
3x in vv1-2
SUCCESS – will it work?
SECURITY – will it last?
SIGNIFICANCE – will it matter?
(Ultimate security etc., not the promise of an
easy life)
(1) The
LORD must build the house (vv1-2)
Builder (v1)
Cf. Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish
builders (Matthew 7:24ff)
Guard (v1)
Worker (v2)
Matthew 6:25ff
(2) The LORD blesses households (vv3-5)
* * *
If you’ve got a
Bible or a suitable device, I’d encourage you to turn to Psalm 127.
This
is the Psalm set for Mothering Sunday in our Lectionary.
It
might not be a totally obvious choice, so you might like to think about why
might be an appropriate Psalm for today.
If
you look at the Psalm, you’ll see it’s in two halves, vv1-2 and vv3-end, so you
might like to think about, is there any overarching theme to the Psalm?
What
connects those two halves together?
Psalm 127
* * *
A song of ascents – going up to Jerusalem –
v1: the watchmen of the city
Of Solomon – v2 – those he loves – his beloved
– related to Solomon’s personal name from God, Jedidiah, Yahweh’s beloved (2 Sam
12:25)
The Psalm is not directly prayer or praise. It
might be said to be wisdom teaching like the Proverbs (also associated with
Solomon)
Kidner: “like much of Solomon’s wisdom, the
lessons of this psalm, relevant as they were to his situation, were mostly lost
on him. His building, both literal and figurative, became reckless (1 Ki.
9:10ff., 19), his kingdom a ruin (1 Ki. 11:11ff.) and his marriages a disastrous
denial of God (1 Ki. 11:1ff).” (p440)
Cf. Psalm 128 – see sermon / sermon notes – connections
to this Psalm: home, family, sons, Zion / Jerusalem, peace (security)
The Psalm addresses three things people are
often concerned about: home / building, security and family (children)
The house, the city, the family; mortgage,
security, education
V1 – enterprises and conflicts, creating and
conserving
Two parts vv1-2 and vv3-5
But in both cases, only what is from God is
truly strong
Double meaning of house in Hebrew / OT:
dwelling / family; house / household (cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 11ff)
Builders, bonim (v1) and sons, banim (v3)
similar words in Hebrew
Cf. Gen 11 – building and a family
V1 - House – Yahweh’s house, the temple?! –
Solomon the builder of the temple
The wise man built his house upon the rock of
Jesus and his words (Matthew 7:24ff)
In vain (v1) not the same word as in Ecclesiastes
Vv1-2 - In vain – cf. 1 Cor 15v58 – (In the
light of the resurrection of Christ) “Your labour in the Lord is not in vain”
John 15:5 – Jesus said, “without me you can do
nothing” – we, the branches, depend on Jesus the vine for fruitfulness
Cf. Proverbs 10:22 – “Yahweh’s blessing makes
rich; toil does not add to it.”
V2 – toil – the same word as the cursed work
of Gen 3:16ff
V2 – restless, compulsive work – easy in our
24 / 7 always on culture, mobile and email pinging away late at night or even
in the small hours of the morning
They get up early and they won’t take a break
– maybe they think lunch is for wimps or they eat lunch on the run or at their
desks – they won’t take a siesta or an afternoon nap and they stay up late –
frantic, driven, work, work, work
Working harder is not the answer
Of course the Bible is all for diligence and
hard work but not self-dependence
All the work in the world wouldn’t be enough
You can never really make yourself strong or
secure
Natural or economic disaster
Health crisis
The pandemic – unpredictability and
instability of life
In the English Civil war, Oliver Cronwell is
said to have told his soldiers to “Trust in God and keep your powder [your
gunpowder] dry” (without which they couldn’t fire their guns)
Pray, and be practical.
Work and trust.
Cf. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 – your loving
heavenly Father knows you need food and clothing and you can trust him: you
don’t have to chase after these things like a pagan!
V2 – difficulties of this verse, see Kidner
p442: for / so / truly; Exactly so / just as – the gift of restfulness is the
antidote the anxiety
Sleep – the blessing God gives or when / how
God gives blessing – possibly, he gives to his beloved in sleep, or he blesses
them while they sleep – cf. Mark 4:26, the seed of the kingdom grows while he
sleeps – cf. Solomon’s dream - 1 Kings 3:5ff
Sleep or maybe prosperity, honour, high estate
V2 – sleep - Cf. Christ asleep in the storm –
Mark 4:38
The figures / examples given in this Psalm:
V1a : Builder
V1b: Soldier / Guard / Watchman
V2: Farmer / Worker
Vv3-4: Man / Father; Parents / The Family
All of them are dependant on the blessing of
the LORD.
Without his blessing, their work is in vain.
With God’s blessing, they can work hard and
rest secure.
Of course this Psalm is not all the Bible
says.
Real faithful Christians can face terrible
suffering.
Tragedy can strike any family.
Christian faith doesn’t insure immunity.
In fact, following Christ may well bring
suffering and opposition.
Ultimate security and significance
V3 begins, “Behold!”
V3ff – sons a gift from the Lord – not
something we can achieve by our works – a heritage, an inheritance, something
given from another not a payment for a work
Cf. anxious helicopter parenting – trusting
our children to God
Kidner: God sometimes gives responsibilities that turn into
blessings. Sons can be a handful before they're a quiverful! (vv3-5)
V5b – Motyer: “Whether negotiating with a
would-be attacker, or contending with an adversary at law. That a substantial
family gives a man standing in the community is the thought here”
* * *
Kidner:
In vain?
Vv1-2: Fruitless efforts?
Vv3-5: Living assets
* * *
Motyer:
In the Interim: The Call to Restfulness
The secret of success (v1)
The recipe for failure (v2)
Restfulness (Yahweh’s gift) (v2b)
Fulfilment (vv3-5)
* * *
Goldingay:
Yhwh Gives, Yhwh Fills
* * *
Expositor’s Bible:
The Blessing of the Lord
(1) Futility and blessing
(2) God’s blessing on the family
* * *
Michael Wilcock:
The Solomon connection
The Nehemiah connection
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